Where the Road Takes Us
by Rogue Darth Skywalker
Summary: Anakin left home and has never looked back. Living on the road is not easy and he has had to get by working odd temporary jobs just to get by. But with the things he's seen and done, he wouldn't trade it for anything. When he stops at a small town, he meets Padme who has dreams of seeing what lies beyond the town line. Will meeting Anakin give her the courage to finally leave?
1. Chapter 1

It was well past midnight when his car pulled into the small sleepy town in Washington. The driver yawned as he pulled into the parking lot of a small motel. Pulling out his wallet, he counted the bills he had. He had enough to fill his tank back up and pick up a couple snacks, but it certainly wasn't enough for a room for the night. Shoving the wallet back in his pocket, he double checks to make sure his doors are locked before maneuvering his body to pass between the driver and passenger seats to get into the back row. Bags of half eaten snacks crunched under his foot after he accidently stepped on one as he arranged his long body to laydown on the row. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, and there was always the chance that someone would try to break in and steal what little money he had, but it was all he had most nights.

Reaching for the Nike shoebox he had lodged under the seat, he opens it and pulls out the small revolver within. This is one of the quieter towns he has been to and he doesn't expect as much trouble as when he was in Chicago, but experience has told him never to be too cautious. Every town has its scum and the night is when they prowl. He spins the cylinder, and checks to make sure it won't jam and that the safety is on. With a sigh, he tucks the gun under his jacket and turns onto his side to sleep.

"No…" He mumbles, "No…no- stop- leave her-" He wakes with a jolt. The revolver clenched tightly in his shaking fist as he slowly recognizes where he is. Rubbing his eye with the heel of his palm, he checks his watch. It is only five in the morning and the sun is only barely peeking over the horizon, but there are people slowly emerging from their homes and making their way to work. There is no better time to ask around for work than now. Returning the revolver to its hiding spot, he unlocks his doors and grabs the small toiletries bag he has and opens the trunk of his car. In the back is several bags of food and cases of water next to two small suitcases of clothes. Lifting the collar of the shirt he is wearing, he gives it a sniff to make sure it is still clean. He knows that the next time he comes across a Laundromat he is going to need to wash his clothes, but for the time being the black shirt he is wearing will do. Taking one of the water bottles he unscrews the cap and pours some of it on a toothbrush. A group of children walking to school stop to stare at him as he brushes his teeth in the middle of a parking lot. He raises a hand and waves to them, and unsurprisingly they turn their heads and start walking a little faster. Giving a shrug, he turns his head and spits off to the side, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. With the rest of the water left in the bottle, he bends over and pours it on his hair. Scrubbing hard at his scalp, he tries to make himself look less of the mess he knows he is. Sleeping in a car has never been known to leave someone without terrible bedhead. It is nearly impossible to stay still at night and the constant tossing and turning has left him with his messy dark blonde hair sticking out awkwardly in places. With his hair now wet, he throws his head back as he shakes the excess water and runs his hands through his hair, pulling out the knots and smoothing it out as best he can. He checks the side mirror to make sure he looks decent enough before closing and locking the car before walking down the street to the convenience store he remembered seeing on his way through the town.

The town was very small with only one gas station, one diner and maybe five stores; it was certainly not the type of town he expected there to be much work. But there was bound to be something that would at least afford him the luxury of sleeping in a bed just for a night or even just one hot meal that wasn't a hot dog from a truck stop. The bell hanging above the door dinged as he entered the store. An older man stood sweeping the floor by the rack of snacks. When he entered, the man looked up and raised his brow at him; obviously aware he was not from here.

"Can I help you, sir?" He asked.

"Yeah." He said, wiping his hands on the back of his pants, "I'm looking for work. I don't need much- just enough to get me back on the road."

The man rested his hands on the top of the broom, "I don't have a job opening, son."

"Is there anyone in town looking for some help?" He asked, "I worked in retail when I was in high school. Worked in a garage too. I can fix things, and I'm pretty strong too if manual labor is needed. Please, sir."

The man looked him up and down and sighed, "Diner down the street. Ask for Mina, tell her Bibble sent you."

"Thank you, sir." He said, bowing his head slightly before he turned and left the store and made his way to the diner.

 _Onderon_ was an unusual name for a diner, but he wasn't one to judge since the garage he worked at in high school had been called _Watto's Widgets_. Glancing in the window of the diner, he noticed it had either a 70's theme or a science fiction theme. It was hard to tell which with the neon lights and the posters of 1970's science fiction movies. Walking through the door, he took a seat at the counter and waited for one of the waitresses to come over. Looking around he noticed most of the tables were empty save three of them, which were occupied most likely by regulars based on the way they interacted with the two waitresses.

It wasn't long before one of the waitresses noticed him sitting there and approached him. "What can I get for you?" She asked. She held an empty tray under her arm and her hair was tied back in a high ponytail. The blue dress she wore as the diner's uniform was extremely simple with buttons down the front and a white apron tied around her waist and yet he couldn't deny she was beautiful.

He must have stared too long because tilted her head and repeated the question to him. "Sorry." He said, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm looking for work and I was told to ask for Mina."

The woman- Padme, according to her nametag- nodded, "Mina doesn't come in for another hour or so. She doesn't open on Thursdays. You're welcome to wait."

"I see."

"Can I get you something for while you wait? Coffee maybe?"

He shakes his head, "No, just some water would be fine." She smiled at him and left to get the water.

"You're not from around here, are you?" She asked as she poured him a glass.

"No."

"What brings you here then?"

He gives a shrug, "Just a stop on the way."

"On the way to where?"

He gives another shrug, "Don't know." He said honestly.

Padme looked up at the rest of the diner and there still wasn't much going on at the moment so she took the stool next to him. "How can you not know where you're going?"

"I just drive. When I see a sign for a place I want to see, or something that sounds cool, I go for it."

She raised a brow at him, "And what attracted you here?"

He scratched the back of his neck, "The sign that said 'gas next exit.'" They both laughed and he decided he loved the sound, "I'm Anakin." He said, holding his hand to her.

"Padme." She said, shaking his hand.

[][][][]

They talked the entire time it took for Mina to arrive. Anakin thought it was weird how quickly he found he could trust this woman, telling her about some of the places he's been to, including Chicago and Aspin, Colorado- the latter being the reason he was in his current situation to begin with. "I swear I've only been that impulsive once before." He defended as he explained how he had wasted most of his money on renting skis and trying his hand at the sport but had quickly learned that he was not good with snow. "And that time I bought a limited edition model of the 1969 Dodge Charger they used in Dukes of Hazzard." He said, making her laugh in the process.

"I take it that's your favorite show then."

He nodded enthusiastically, "When I was a kid, Kitster and I used to watch reruns all the time." He said, taking a sip of his water, "What about you?" He asked.

"What about me?"

He gave a shrug, "This town. What brings you here?"

Padme smiled and looked down at the counter, "I'm from here." She explained, "Born and raised. Never been farther than the lake."

Anakin's eyes went wide, "Never?"

"Never." She said. Pausing a moment as if pondering how much she should tell him. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to say anymore, they did only just meet and it wouldn't be surprising if she decided to change topics, "I have thought about it." She said, "Leaving. I have a scrapbook of places I want to see and things I want to do…"

"Like what?" He asked.

Padme looked up and smiled, "I always wanted to go to Europe. I tried to learn French on my own, but that didn't really go as planed." She said with a laugh, "I also um…" She paused a moment and fidgeted with her hands, "On my days off I help with the youth group in town. We do charity work; fundraisers and soup drives that we give to this group who takes it to the cities where they are needed most… I always wanted to do more."

He listens intently to what she says and he is impressed with her compassion. "But?" He asks, trying to figure out what is stopping her.

She shakes her head, "It's silly. It's just a dream."

"It's only a dream until you do something about it." He told her with a smile. Padme looks startled by his words, but he knows he's right. As a boy, he had always dreamed of seeing the world, and while so far he has only gone as far as Mexico, he knows he is on the right track. His eyes meet hers and they both fell silent, though it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was actually… nice. He isn't sure how long he stared but it was long enough for Mina to finally show up. Padme quickly jumped to her feet and called the woman over. Anakin stood as she introduced him to her before excusing herself and returning to work.

Mina was a tall woman with short brown hair and dressed in a pantsuit rather than the diner uniform. "You were looking for me?" she asked.

"Bibble told me you might have some work." Anakin said, "I just need enough pay to get me to a city."

She smiled and nodded, "My son Lux runs deliveries but he's been slacking off recently. It pays minimum but you get to keep tips when you get them. I imagine working through the weekend should be enough to get you the money you need."

"I'll take what I can get." He said.

"Be here at five then."

[][][][]

The sharp buzz of his phone woke him the next morning. Anakin groaned as he rubbed the back of his sore neck and stretched his muscles as best he could before sitting up. The clock on his phone read 4:45AM, and while fifteen minutes might not seem like much time to get ready for work, it was all the time he needed to brush his teeth and eat a Slim Jim for breakfast. When he was done, he drove down the street to park in front of the diner. Mina had already laid out several take out bags, each with a ticket and address stapled to them. The job didn't need an explanation and compared to some of the odd jobs he had done in the past, this ranked among the simplest. She handed him a small wad of cash for gas before helping him load up his car with the food. Anakin glanced at each address and organized them in the back seat to make the job easier. By the time he was loaded up, he saw Padme and another woman enter the diner. Their eyes met for a moment and she smiled politely at him before turning away and going to work. Glancing at his watch, he decided that he too should get started as well.

He had not had much of an opportunity to look at the town much before. Yesterday he had walked around for a little bit but overall the town was much smaller than he was used to but there was not much for him to do, though he did find the view of the lake to be very nice and relaxing.

Looking at the first ticket, he found the small bookstore easily with its giant novelty book sign hanging just above the canopy. The owner was an older woman who smelled like an old book mixed with a flower. She was grateful that he was doing Lux's deliveries for the time being, claiming that Mina's food was the best she had ever had in all her years. Anakin listened to her politely and after talking for five minutes, he excused himself, telling her he had other deliveries to make. The woman tipped nicely and that made the conversation worth the wait. Jumping back in his car, he checks for the next address and speeds off in search of the medical clinic where he has to deliver the food to a patient.

The rest of the day and the day after went more or less the same and Anakin had been surprised how generous most of the people seemed to be with tips. Delivery jobs normally got maybe $5 tips. But here more people gave him $10 tips. It might not seem like much to most people, but to him it is everything. Every penny gets him a few feet more and keeps the trip going. Pulling back up to the diner, he figures it is about time he has that hot meal he's been craving now that he can afford to and after doing deliveries tomorrow, he'll be able to fill up his car and be on his way. He smiles as he thinks about maybe going down to California, or maybe up to Vancouver. Or both if he feels like it.

The diner looks to be finishing up with the lunch rush as he takes a seat at the counter once more. Padme noticed his arrival and he smiled at her when she came over. "Hey, I haven't seen you since you first walked into town." She said, returning his smile.

"Yeah, sorry. I've been a little busy." He said.

"I'll bet. So what can I get for you?"

Anakin glanced at the menu, "Well, I've been running this food around in my car for two days now and I'm curious to see if it tastes as good as my car smells now." Padme laughs at his words, but they are no less true. His car smells so much like warm comfort food, he lies awake half the night with his stomach rumbling for a bite. Anakin flips to the page with the burgers and his stomach responds with a rumble of agreement as he picks the biggest one listed. "I'll take the 3AM burger, medium rare, the egg cooked over-easy with lettuce, tomato, union and extra bacon. And I'll take a coke."

"I take it you're hungry." She said as she scribbled his order on her pad.

"Only a little." He said with a shrug, prompting a small laugh from her before she turned to go and place the order. She returned a moment later with his drink before hurrying to another table. Anakin watches her as she moves to bus a table, clearing away the dirty plates and wiping the crumbs into the bin. The bell at the pass-through rang and Padme returned the bus bin, wiping her hands on her apron before loading the food on a tray and balances it on her shoulder and making her way over to a table in the back. Anakin looked away from her, not wanting to seem creepy with his staring.

His meal arrived quickly and if he didn't want to celebrate the first decent meal in weeks, he would have probably wolfed it down just as fast. Instead he ate slowly, savoring the warmth and the flavor as it danced in his mouth. The food was good- very good but that might be because he hasn't eaten like this in a while. He pushes the plate away from him after he is done cleaning the plate and rests his arms on the counter. Padme takes the empty plate away and only then does he realize the diner has slowed down, having only a couple of the booths still occupied but the other two waitresses were seated at a table near the back, chatting quietly amongst themselves. "I hope I haven't kept you too busy." He says when she comes back.

Padme smiles at him and shakes her head, "Not at all. This place starts to slow down after 6 anyway. And we end up getting stuck here until nine or ten some nights with maybe one or two tables." She said, taking the seat next to him, "It's not really that bad. Everyone knows everyone here, it just gets a little boring."

"I know what that's like." He said, reaching for his coke and taking a drink of it.

"How long are you staying?"

"Tired of me already?"

She laughed and shook her head, "No, just curious."

Anakin smiled at her, "I'm leaving tomorrow after I get paid." He said.

"And then where?"

He gives a shrug, "Don't know."

Padme shook her head once more, "I don't know how you can live like that."

"Like what?" His brow furrowed in confusion at her.

"Without direction. No plan, no goal; but still moving."

Anakin laughed, "I do so have a direction."

"And what is that?"

His face goes serious, "Live without regrets." He said. His gaze fell to the counter, "Life is short and once you get to a certain point, it gets cruel. I want to live before that happens. I want to have a story worth telling so that when I look back, I can feel… fulfilled- that my life wasn't just ordinary." He meets her eyes and smiles, "Plans can get you from A to Z, but you miss everything else in between- and that is the fun part." He can tell she is impressed from the way she looks at him. "Come with me."

"What?"

He hadn't even realized he asked until her eyes went wide at what he said. He knows she wants to get out of this town. He knows there are things she wants to do. But the way he lives is far from ideal. She only knows a small bit of his lifestyle and he has just asked her to join him. "I mean…" He pauses, lifting his arm to scratch the back of his neck nervously, "I mean, the way I live isn't really…- I sleep in my car most nights, and live off bags of snacks and fast food. But I mean… I-I can go anywhere- California, Canada, New York… I know I probably make it sound amazing- and it is- but it isn't exactly easy… and we only just met, so I completely understand if you don't want to…" His voice trails off, well aware he is rambling.

Padme sits and stares next to him, she had been silent the entire time, "I…" She starts, "I-I can't." She said. "I can't just… leave. My family is here, my life is here…"

He can see the war in her eyes as she fights to rationalize his offer, "You could leave." He said, "You just have to want to, and find the will to do it." She is silent, unsure how to respond. Anakin pulls a wad of crumpled bills from his pocket, and hands it to her, "Keep the change." He said, smiling at her as he gets up from his seat and leaves.

[][][][]

Anakin yawns loudly as he finishes the delivery route. Being a Sunday, there weren't too many deliveries to be made and he was done by late afternoon. He pulls up to the diner and walks up the steps one last time to collect his pay from Mina. He smiles at her and she offers him another week of work, but he declines. It's a nice town, but he was excited to get moving. She understands and is nice enough to give him a little extra cash. He thanks her and leaves the diner, happy to have a little more cash in his pocket than expected. He drives down the block to fill up on gas and as he finishes paying, he sees her.

Padme is walking quickly towards the diner pulling a suitcase behind her. She leaves it at the bottom of the stairs as she goes inside. It takes her only a minute to reappear, looking both ways down the street. Anakin climbs back in his car and drives back to the front of the diner. She is out of breath when he pulls up and she looks relieved to see him.

"I want to go with you." She said as he rolled down the window.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Padme nodded, "Yes. If I don't do this now, I never will… and I don't want to live with that regret."

He smiled at her as he unlocked the doors, "Hop in."


	2. Chapter 2

It took me a long time, but I finally did it! I finally got chapter 2 up! Super sorry for the long wait, I was planning on working on Daddy's Little Princess when I opened this story by accident and then I noticed how close I was to finishing chapter 2 so I put all my effort into finishing it today. Hope it's worth the wait!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 2

Padme's eyes were focused out the passenger window as Anakin drove away from the town. She was nervous, afraid even. She has never done something like this before- never taken such a leap of faith and she can't help but wonder why she was doing it now. She barely even knows Anakin and yet she is literally putting her fate in his hands. The thought to ask him to take her home crosses her mind but as they pass under the sign that lists where the exits go towards- Portland, L.A., Vegas- the thought dies instantly. How can she let fear keep her from living the life she wants to live?

"You okay?" Anakin's voice pulls her from her thoughts and she turns her head to him. His eyes are focused on the road and yet she knows he's been turning to look at her every once in a while much like he had in the diner. He thinks she hasn't noticed, but she has and it's cute how innocent the gesture is.

"Yes." She responded, "Why wouldn't I be?" She tries to sound nonchalant but it doesn't work very well, evident from the small smile on his face.

He shrugs, "Just checking. Leaving everything like you did isn't easy."

"Speaking from experience?" She asked.

"Yeah..." He said, his voice dropping a little. "So, where to?" He asked.

Padme raised a brow, "What?"

"Where do you want to go?" He asked, "you name it, we'll go."

She's silent as she thinks about it for a moment. He wants her to pick… what if she picks a place he's already been? Would he mind? What if she picks something too cliché? Looking at the signs, Vegas is definitely cliché… but it would be nice… Padme shakes her head. Anakin knows she hasn't traveled much, he'd understand if she picked cliché and he wouldn't mind going somewhere he's been before otherwise he wouldn't have given her the option. "Los Angeles?" She says.

He turns his head to her, "Are you asking, or telling?"

"What?"

He smiles and shakes his head, "Don't ask me where to go. You know what you want, so just say it. You aren't a little ki-" His eyes go wide and his head turns to her sharply, "Please tell me I did not just kidnap a teenager."

Padme raised a brow at him. Does she really look that young? "I'm not a teenager." She said, "I'm twenty-five actually."

He visibly let out a sigh of relief, "Good…" He said, "Fuck, I didn't even think about that before… wait- twenty-five?" She nodded and he roared with laughter, "Wow, you're older than me."

Her jaw fell open slightly, "Wait, are you a teenager then?"

Anakin smiled and shook his head, "Twenty-one." He said, letting out a huff of air, "okay, now that we've established neither of us are criminals… where do you want to go?"

Padme smiled and directed her attention to the sign they were driving under. "L.A." She said and she must have said it as right as she could make out the smirk on his face as he pulled into the correct lane.

"As you wish, milady." He said jokingly and she leaned back in her seat and watched as he took the exit to get on the interstate.

[][][][]

The driving, for the most part, is very uneventful. Ahead of them is always a never-ending sea of black concrete with the only change being when they pull off to get gas and after a few rest stops, even they look the same. The radio played softly as she waited for Anakin to come back from the gas station convenience store. They had been on the road for three hours and it was a wonder Anakin was able to stay awake. There were a few times she'd wanted to nod off but she had forced herself to stay awake because it would be rude to fall asleep on him. Looking out the window she saw him return with a bag of food and several Slim Jims in hand. Climbing into the car he puts the bag of food in the back and peels open the wrapper of the meat stick and takes a bite. "You sure you don't want anything?" He asked.

"I'm sure," She said, smiling at him. The diet he lived by is far from the healthiest and it was far from the quality she was used to. The only food he seemed to have were bags of chips, cookies, sodas, and Monster Energy Drinks. The Slim Jims were the most abundant but they looked more like heart attacks on a stick to her.

Anakin gave a shrug as he turned the engine over, "We're obviously not going to make it down to L.A. in one day," He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone and passing it to her, "Want to see what's going on along the way? There's an app called DayTrip on the first page." He said as he took another bite of the Slim Jim.

Padme took the phone from him and looked down at the lock screen. It was a picture of him with a girl standing in front of an old car. She doesn't know what kind of car it is, but from the smile on their faces, it must be something special. The girl is interesting. The picture shows her with dark tan skin and her hair is black with white highlights in it tied with a braid that is pulled forward over her shoulder and on top of her head she wears a blue beanie. Anakin had his arm resting on her shoulder while her arms are crossed over her chest. Padme glances over at him for a moment to try and guess how old it is. His hair now reaches the base of his neck whereas in the picture it's only just starting to grow out. She guesses it isn't too long ago, maybe a couple months to a year ago.

Turning back to the task, she unlocks it and finds the app he told her about. It lists the name of events, and where and when they are. Scrolling through the feed, she sees several markets in Oregon; a couple minor league sports games, bar meet-ups, and hiking tours… but nothing else. As she reads through the feed, she tries to find something closer to the southern border so they don't have to venture too far off their route.

"Find anything?" He asks after letting her scroll for a few minutes.

"Not really…" She says. There isn't a lot of things she can say she is interested in seeing- some of them she doesn't even know what they are.

Anakin throws away the plastic wrapper of his snack, holding the last three inches of the stick between his teeth, "Let me see." He says, holding out his hand to take the phone back.

He scrolls a little before selecting an event, "What do you think about going to a motocross event?" He asks.

"You mean like dirt bikes?" She asks with a knit in her brow.

He nods his head, "Yeah. They got something going on in Medford. There's a sponsored race and freestyle competitions." He says with a small smile on his face.

Padme had never enjoyed messy activities. Even as a girl when her father had tried to teach her gardening she had outright refused because of how messy dirt was. Her opinion on that hasn't really changed, partially because she's never given it a second chance. But as she sees the smile on Anakin's face, she can tell it is something he is interested in, so perhaps she should give it a long-overdue second chance, if only because it is the polite thing to do. "Why not?" She says after a moment, "I've never seen a dirt bike race."

Anakin smiled as he looked at the event details before returning his phone to his pocket and pulling out of the gas station, "They're not called dirt bikes, they're motocross bikes." He corrected, "And they're a lot of fun."

"You've been to one before?"

"Competed a couple times, actually." He said, "Back home, there was this race track not far from school. Kitster and I used to watch the races when class let out. And when I was a little older, I competed in a few of the local events."

"Really?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah. You either played football or did motocross where I lived. And I never liked football; it's just a bunch of guys in tights wrestling over a ball and slapping each other on the butt."

Padme covered her mouth as she laughed. She has never heard football described like that before and as someone who shares the same disinterest in the sport, it is certainly a description she has to remember. "So what exactly can I expect?" She asked, and Anakin was more than happy to explain the sport to her.

[][][][]

Medford wasn't a huge city but it was still much larger than what she was used to. From the moment she could see it just over the ridge, her eyes stayed focused on it until they were in the city where her attention buzzed from one thing to the next. There was so much going on, so many stores, restaurants, and people it was hard to fathom. She wasn't ignorant. She knew there were places where millions of people live, but imagining that many people when she has not even seen more than a thousand people in one place is nearly impossible.

Anakin pulled down a back alley and parked along the rear of a restaurant. The alley had only a handful of lights and the sides were littered with crates and boxes waiting for the garbage to be collected. Padme stretched her legs as she got out of the car. "Why are we here?" She asked, curious why he chose to park here instead of the garage across the street.

"Might be hard to believe, but alleys are actually safer than garages." He said as he locked the car and they started walking to the street. "I used to park in garages up until I got robbed."

"You got robbed?" she asked, her eyes going wide.

Anakin nodded, "Yeah. See, the trouble with garages is unless someone is there to park or get their car the place is virtually empty. No one can hear you if you call for help, and the exits are far and few." Anakin shrugged, "Alleys on the other hand, if you pick an alley on a main street there's apartments above stores, restaurants open twenty-four hours-a-day, people are walking down the street and the exit is pretty close." Padme nodded as he explained his use of alleys to her. Anakin had told her that they would be sleeping in the car more often than in a motel and looking back at the small car, she wonders how that will work. At the same time, knowing he had been robbed she worries how he plans to keep them both out of harm's way. Anakin places his hand on her shoulder as if sensing her fears and flashes her a confident smile, "Don't worry about that." He says, "I've been doing this a while and I got it all down to a science."

They walked down the street to a small bar with dimmed lights. Padme took a seat on the corner of the bar while Anakin went to get the complimentary popcorn from the machine along the back wall. The bartender would wave or call a name every once in a while as the regulars started to file in. Anakin returned moments later, placing the basket between them and reaching for the menus sitting on the condiments rack next to her and hands her one. She knows immediately why he picked this particular bar. The food was simple and inexpensive and they had more snack foods than anything that could count for dinner. "Don't you ever eat anything other than junk?" She asks, looking over both sides of the menu for something to eat, "I don't think I've ever seen a place where the beer is healthier than the food."

Anakin smiles and gives a shrug, "For the places we're just passing through, there really isn't a point in wasting money on a nice meal until we reach the destination. We'll stay in L.A. for a few weeks or so and we save up money so we can do all the fun stuff."

Padme nodded her head, understanding his reasoning. This lifestyle was going to be hard to adapt to, but it would be worth it in the end. Looking at the menu, she picks one of the burgers, deciding it was the lesser evil at this bar. When the bartender comes over to take their orders, Anakin orders them both house beers and gets the large one pound burger with everything on it. Looking at him, she tries to figure how a guy as fit as he is, can even maintain that figure when he eats as much junk as he does.

"So, this motocross thing…" She starts, "You actually used to race?"

Anakin takes a long swallow of his beer and nods, "Yeah. I started when I was… seven, I think. Continued it all the way through high school." He said with a proud smile on his face.

"More than ten years of it? That sounds like a lot more than I imagined when you said you raced."

He gave a shrug, "It is a very serious sport and one that requires a lot of training and commitment."

"I realize that, but ten years? Why'd you stop?" Padme watched as he traced the rim of his glass. She was quickly learning that he was a very expressive individual. His emotions were almost always clear to her from the way he carries his weight to how his eyes appear darker when he thinks about a bad memory. And all of this makes her curious to know more about him- to understand him. He seems to have been alone for a long time, and now that she was traveling with him, she felt as if it was her duty to be the person he could trust with these difficult memories. No one should carry that weight alone.

"My junior year of high school…" He started, "I, uh, a bunch of friends and I used to always go out to this old field that we turned into our private race track where we would build mounds and jumps. My mom never liked me racing, but she absolutely hated me doing jumps." His eyes met hers for a moment, a small smile on his face as he remembered the past, "But, on this day," The smile on his face faded as his shoulders hunched, "I pushed too far. Never done a backflip before, and I was crazy enough to try." Padme watched as he took a long swallow of his drink before he continued. "I hit the ramp, but I didn't get enough air to finish the flip. I was completely upside down when I crashed and my bike ended up landing on top of me. I don't remember much after that. I remember being in a lot of pain, and I remember Kitster hovering over me but nothing after that. Next thing I know, I'm in a hospital. Four ribs on my right side broken, two on my left. I broke my collarbone, my hip, my left arm was shattered, my right shoulder was dislocated, my right leg was broken along with seven bones in my left foot." Anakin shook his head, "I was a mess. In the hospital for three months then back and forth to physical therapy for several months after. By then I just didn't have the time to ride. Plus the thought of me riding again terrified my mom so much I couldn't do that to her."

Anakin had told her the sport was dangerous, but from the injuries he described it sounded more than jus dangerous- it was downright suicide. Reaching speeds as fast 125 miles per hour, jumping, doing crazy tricks like no handers and flips; it's not the sort of activity she thinks any sane person would willingly do. And yet Anakin had. "That's just horrible." She said, unsure what else she could say. Despite how gruesome the crash was, he looks like he recovered well. "Is that the only reason you don't ride anymore? Because of your mom and work…"

Their meals arrived a moment later and After he took a bite of his burger he shook his head, "Honestly, the crash rattled me pretty badly. Couldn't even bring myself down to the track until spring break of my senior year." He said, wiping his face on a paper napkin, "but uh, when I decided to start traveling, my bike was the first thing to go. No point in having a dirt bike where I was going."

Padme nodded her head, understanding a little more about him, but also getting the impression he was leaving out details.

"What about you?"

She turned her head to him with a raised brow, "What about me?" She asked.

He shrugged, "I know that look." He said, "The look as if I was crazy to do what I did. I'm sure you've done something crazy at some point."

Padme shook her head, "Never. I was a good child so unless you count doing my homework a week in advance I'm afraid there's nothing."

Anakin chuckled lightly and rested his arms on the bar counter, "Oh, come on! You didn't even sneak out at night? Or go to an underage drinking party?"

She shrugged, "I wasn't a party girl. And the parties back home are just dull anyway." Padme glances away from him, taking a sip of her drink as a light blush reaches her cheeks. She hoped he hadn't noticed but she was certain he had.

"What is it?" He asked with an amused smile on his face.

"Nothing." She replied in a pathetic attempt to avoid the question.

"It's not nothing. What is it? You can tell me."

Padme pauses a moment before she lets out a sigh and turns back to him, "There was this… one crazy thing I did."

"Do tell." He said, his interest peaked as he leaned closer to her.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, "Alright," She started, "The lake was where a lot of us hung out in high school. When I was a sophomore, I went there with a bunch of my friends, and… we went skinny dipping." Padme turns away as she feels her cheeks burning bright red from telling him that. She hadn't even told her sister about that time it was so crazy.

Anakin doesn't say anything for a moment and she peeked at him out of the corner of her eye to gauge his reaction. He blinks several times as though he is trying to absorb the information before she noticed his eyes rake over her body ever so slightly. "Huh… That wasn't what I expected at all." He said. "When you said crazy I imagined… skipping a math class or something. But skinny dipping…" He nodded his head approvingly, "more props to you. Even I haven't done that." Their eyes locked for several seconds before they turned away, each of them laughing a little to break the tension that wasn't quite uncomfortable but certainly left them uncertain about what to do next.

They finished their dinner with light conversations that ranged from their favorite TV shows to funny stories from when they were kids. It was surprising how easy it was for her to talk to him and how their conversations felt more and more like the conversation between old friends. It was very pleasant and she almost wished it could continue. But as the patrons in the bar started to die down, they felt it best to leave. They walked back to the car where he unlocked the back door and moved their bags of food to the front seat so he could sleep on the floor. Climbing inside, Padme laid down on her side on the backseat while he attempted to make himself comfortable on the floor.

"You don't have to sleep on the floor." She said, noticing how he tried to squeeze his large body in the small space between the front and backseat of the car.

Anakin scoffed, "And where do you suggest I sleep then?"

Padme paused for a second before shifting forward, "Up here." She muttered, pulling the jacket she was using as a blanket tighter around her.

He shifted to rest on one elbow, his eyes meeting hers, "You sure?" He asked, "I don't want you to be uncomfortable- more uncomfortable, that is." He amended.

"It's your car. You shouldn't be uncomfortable either." She said, keeping her eyes locked with his in a way to silently tell him it's okay.

Anakin nodded his head, "Alright." He said before shifting to try to climb over her so was behind her. His back was pressed up against the back of the seat and she could feel every inch of his body pressed against hers. He hesitated with his arms for a moment before he tucked one arm under her head and the other came to wrap securely around her. Reaching down to the floor, he pulled his blanket up to cover both of them. "If you get uncomfortable, just let me know, okay?"

Padme nodded and turned her head back to him, "Night." She said, turning her head back forward and resting it on the pillow his arm was tucked under and falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**WOW! It's been so long since I've updated this story. Sorry for the long delay! I'm trying to do a slow build up with this story and it is much harder than I thought it would be. Honestly, who else just wants them to kiss and have a long indefinite romantic road trip across the country? I know I do! BUT I must wait. I must build it up slowly if only because it makes for a better story.**

 **As always, Happy Reading!**

 **-DFD**

* * *

Chapter 3

The glare from the sun hit the side mirror at just the right angle for it to cast the early morning rays straight into his eyes. Anakin groaned as he picked up his head and pressed the heel of his hand onto his eye, rubbing away the sleep. The dream he had just woken from had been very pleasant. A dream about home and his mother before he'd left. Leaving had not been an easy choice to make, and there were still times when he regretted it, especially when he was short on money. But he'd always found a reason not to turn and go back home.

The sound of a soft sigh and feeling someone shift closer to him, halted his thoughts as he slowly registered his surroundings. As expected, he was laying down in the backseat of his car, but the sight of the woman who was pressed snugly against his chest was not something he was used to. It took him another moment to remember her name and why she was there. Her light steady breathing made it very clear she was in a deep sleep and it created a lull in the small space of the car.

He wasn't sure if he should wake her just yet. Checking his watch, he noticed it was around six in the morning, not too early, but still very early to some. Instead, he decided to let her sleep if only for a little while longer. With his other arm pinned under her head as she used it as a pillow, he had little choice but to stay where he was. Anakin took the time he had to look at her more closely. She had told him she was twenty-five, but if he was honest she looked much younger than that. Perhaps it was because she was so much shorter than he was, or maybe it was because people always assumed he was older that he just got into the habit of assuming people are younger than they actually were… Either way, it doesn't really matter. What did matter was how comfortable he was with her. He can't recall the last time he had been so comfortable with someone. Even with Ahsoka, it had taken weeks before he warmed up to her and invited her along to some of the things he liked to see. But with Padme, he'd only spoken to her twice and he asked her to come to more than just a few car shows or concerts… he'd asked her to drop everything and travel with him- full time. And for some reason, the moment they got onto the highway, it had felt… right. It felt like the real trip had begun and everything that he had done before had just been practice.

Padme began to stir beside him, her head lifting slightly as she slowly blinked away sleep, her eyes squinting against the sunlight. Her head turned back and their eyes met for a moment. She gave him a small barely noticeable smile, "Morning," She said, her voice thick with sleep, "What time is it?"

"About 6:30," He said, "Races start at ten… did you want to grab some breakfast before we go?"

"Sure," She said, the smile on her face replaced with a furrowed brow "How exactly do you shower?"

Anakin's face flushed as he raised his hand to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly, "Um… well, that… is complicated," He said, fishing for the right way to explain it in a way that won't repulse her. "I usually shower at truck stops. They're not as bad as you think. But prices have started to go up so unless I buy like 50 gallons of gas, I'm out like fifteen dollars per shower. So I normally hold off for like two or three days."

Her eyebrows shot up, "Fifteen dollars?" She repeated, rightfully shocked at the price. Clearly, that had not been the answer she had been looking for, but the fact that she hadn't reacted negatively had to be a good thing, right?

"Yeah, used to be ten," He said with a shrug, "I guess they're just trying to get more money out of trucking companies or something but it's just ridiculous."

"No kidding," She scoffed. "Where do you want to eat?" She asked, changing the subject to something with a much easier answer.

"I remember we passed a diner on the way here. We can go in, get some food, and use their restroom to change and brush our teeth and whatever," He said.

Padme raised an eyebrow at him, she must find all of this… unusual, but it is honestly the best way he knows to do things short of knocking on stranger's doors and asking for help.

"Sorry," He said, "I know this probably isn't what you envisioned when you decided to come along…"

Her eyes go wide and she shakes her head, "No, no, it's fine… really," She said, placing her hand on his arm. "It's not what I expected, but it isn't something I can't get used to," She said to reassure him, and to her credit, it worked.

Anakin smiled and they shifted around in the small space of the car to sit up. His arm and shoulder ached from staying in the same position all night but it wasn't extremely painful. Climbing out of the car, they went to the trunk where they sifted through their bags and retrieved their toiletries and clean clothes.

The dinner was just a block away from where they parked the car and after eating and getting ready, they were off to the outskirts of the city where the racetrack was. As they drew closer the sight of brightly colored trucks with sponsor stickers and racer numbers became more common as well as pickup trucks with two or more dirt bikes sitting in the bed. Anakin tried to explain to her some the differences between the bikes and talked about some of the famous athletes in the sport but he wasn't sure she understood most of what he said.

Turning off onto the dirt driveway that led to the track, Anakin pulled into the makeshift parking lot that was really only of a cluster of cars parked side by side all the way across an empty patch of dirt. In the distance, they could hear the roar of engines and the cheers of crowds along with the jumbled commentary of at least two events running side by side.

Padme seemed to be fascinated by the entire thing, understandably so since she probably hadn't ever seen anything like this before. He smirked as he took her by the arm and led her towards the stands where they could see one of the races. By the time they found seats, the race was only just finishing the first lap. They stood in the crowd and watched, Anakin with the excitement of a little kid, and Padme more with surprise as she winced with almost every turn and gasped when two of the lead racers collided in the final turn of the final lap. "And you actually did this?" She asked as the remaining ten racers crossed the finish line.

He looked down at her, her eyes almost shocked that he used to compete in such a sport. "Yeah," He said with a shrug. "Racing isn't as bad as that, though," He said, pointing to the track adjacent from theirs where a series of large ramps were barely visible through the crowd, but they could make out one of the riders as he rode his bike hard against the ramp and went flying in the air as he let go of the handlebars and leaned back far enough his head almost touched the back of the bike as he hooked his feet under the handlebars before quickly returning to a normal position for the landing.

Padme shook her head, "You know it's one thing to hear you talk about the crazy thing you did," She started, "It's another to see other people crazy enough to do it as well."

He tipped his head back and roared with laughter, "It's not that crazy," He argued.

"You ended up in the _hospital_ ," She said with a raised brow, "That sounds crazy to me."

Anakin scoffed, "You won't be thinking that when I get you on a bike," He said.

"And what makes you think I'll willingly get on one of those things with _you_ of all people?"

He could see the amusement in her eyes and just like when he first spoke to her in the diner, he was mesmerized by her. He knew there was something special about her- something that drew him to her but he didn't know what to call it just yet. All he knew, was that he liked it when she smiled. "You will," He said with a shrug.

They spent the rest of the day walking around the tracks, watching the races and the freestyle competitions and buying the greasy but extremely cheap food they were selling from grease trucks. Anakin assumed Padme was having a good time since whenever they watched the freestyle events her focus was entirely on the riders and looked to be in awe of the death-defying tricks they performed. And whenever there was time between events, they spoke almost nonstop about whatever they could. Conversations between them were just so easy and natural between them he felt like he could tell her almost anything.

As the sun started to set, they headed back to the car but instead of going back into the city, they impulsively decided to stay parked where they were and spend the night under the stars. Sitting on the hood of the car, Padme pointed out the stars and constellations she remembered from her astronomy class in high school. He smiled as he listened to her talk in truth he knew little about space and had never been particularly very interested in it but it was nice just to listen to her.

"And that one right there, that's actually Mars," She explained pointing to a small dot just above the Scorpius constellation she had pointed to. "You can tell its Mars because it's never in the same place. Because of its orbit, it does this… zig-zag pattern across the sky over the course of several weeks," She said with a shrug, "I can't remember what it's called, though."

Anakin laughed, "I thought you liked this stuff," He said, leaning back and folding his arms behind his head.

"I do… sorta," She admitted. "I actually enjoyed my history classes more."

"Oh, you were one of _those_ girls," He groaned.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at him, "What do you mean by 'those girls'?"

"Oh, you know, the type who actually _likes_ those _boring_ documentaries, the ones who use more than just Wikipedia as an essay source… you know, the boring ones."

For a moment she seemed almost offended until she saw the slight curl of his lip and smacked him on the chest, "You're the worst," She said between laughs. "I was not boring."

"But I'm not wrong, am I?" He asked with a raised brow. Her lips pursed a moment and he chuckled lightly, "I knew it."

"Shut up," She said, leaning back to rest on her forearms. "It's a lot more interesting than you think."

He scoffed, "Please, it's like the least useful class ever. Why do I need to know that the Tomato Famine happened in fifteen-whatever? It's just a load of useless facts that are only useful in Jeopardy."

"It's _Potato_ Famine," She corrected. "And it happened around the eighteen-forties and it should be noted that over a million people died from it. Not to mention it helped advance the Industrial Revolution because of the influx of immigrants."

"I'll say it again: _boring._ "

"You're impossible," She huffed. "Don't you even care? You do realize that everything those old dead guys, as you put it, are directly responsible for the way things are now?"

Anakin let out a small groan as he stretched his arms above his head, the hem of his shirt riding up slightly, "Not really," He said. "I mean, I never really cared what happened one hundred years ago. I didn't have time to worry about it. Until my mom got married, I didn't even know when she got off work. There were times I didn't see her until the next night." He kept his eyes on the sky but he could feel her staring at him.

"I'm sorry," She whispered.

"What for? Look, the first twelve years of my life were hard, I admit that, but it obviously got better."

Padme turned to lean on her side facing him, resting her chin in her hand, "Still," She started, "It doesn't sound pleasant."

"It wasn't."

"And you raced even though you obviously had so much more going on?"

He turned his head to her and smiled, "I liked it," He said simply. "It was the one time during the week I could forget it all," He gave a small shrug before rolling off the hood of the car. "It's getting late. We'd better turn in," He said, knowing Padme had many questions she wanted to ask him- questions he wasn't ready to answer just yet. "It's about a five-hour drive to San Fransisco- seven if you take California's traffic into mind."

Without another word, they climbed into the backseat of the car, kicking off their muddy shoes and throwing them onto the floor. Anakin settled with his back against the seats while she took up the spot in front of him. He still wasn't used to sleeping beside him and for a moment he fumbled with where to put his arm before draping it hesitantly around her waist and only relaxed when she placed her hand over his, a gesture that seemed to assure him he was allowed to touch her.

"Goodnight, Anakin," She said, squeezing his hand lightly.

"Night."

[][][][]

"Anakin wake up!"

His eyes snapped open and he all but jumped out of the seat when he felt someone shaking him. His vision was still blurred from sleep and his mind was still lost in the disturbing dream he'd had.

"You were shouting."

With the heel of his hand, he rubbed at his eye as he slowly returned to the real world and remembered Padme was with him. "It was just a dream," He grumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

"More like a nightmare," She said, sitting up and running her hand gently through his hair in a soothing gesture. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Anakin sat up and leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes. "No," He said with a shake of his head.

"It was about your mother, wasn't it?"

His eyes opened and he stared at her a moment. Her concern was reflected clearly in her eyes and she sat patiently beside him, ready to offer whatever comfort she could. His gaze shifted to the stars he could see shining bright through the windshield. "It was… an old memory," He explained. "I don't… I don't talk about my life before _this_ often," He said, letting out a tired sigh.

"I could tell," She said. Her body shifted so she could lean her back against the door, bringing one of her legs up and wrapping her arm around it. "You tend to switch topics whenever it comes up. I figured it must be hard thinking about home and everything you left behind."

Anakin scoffed, "The only thing I left behind was my mom," He said. He opened his mouth as if he was going to continue, but shut it just as quickly. He didn't really want to talk about how different he had been growing up. How he had always had bigger dreams than the small town dreams his friends had. He had always wanted to do more- be more than just a farmer or a small shop owner like everyone back home but no one except his mother seemed to think his dreams were possible. When he was a boy, whenever he talked about his dreams and told her what others said, she would just smile and ask him "What does your heart tell you?" He would always answer "It will happen someday." And his mother, the brilliant woman she is, would shrug her shoulders and say, "Then it will be so." She was the only person who truly believed in him. And when the time came that he was ready to go and started to second guess himself… she told him to go. Go and live a life without regrets. Make every moment count.

It was clear to him that he liked Padme that he trusted her but at the same time there were still some things he would rather not talk about. And his dream about the night before he left was one of them. She sat silently beside him, waiting for him to continue for several long moments before she sighed and shifted closer to him.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," She said, rubbing his arm gently. "Just know I'll be here to listen when you do." With a small smile, she pulled on his arm slightly to coax him into laying back down. With her head on his arm and his other wrapped around her waist, he slowly drifted into a light sleep, his mind too busy to relax fully.


End file.
